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THE BOY OF THE FOREST
The dampness of the forest hung heavy in the air; rays of sunlight filtered through the branches of the trees. The sound of New York’s honking horns was far behind them.
Everything seemed calm—until it was broken by Noah’s footsteps.
The boy ran, leaving footprints in the wet earth; sweat ran down his face.
“Mo… Mom, it’s Alec,” Noah barely managed to say. He crouched down, his breathing becoming ragged.
“I’m here, sweetheart. Breathe with me.”
“What’s wrong with Alec?” Rafael said, his voice low but firm, searching for him with his eyes.
“Look at me, Noah. Now tell me… where was the last place you saw him?”
Rafael took Noah’s trembling arms, locking eyes with him.
Noah lowered his gaze, fidgeting with his hands, unable to meet his father’s eyes. In his mind, there was only Alec.
—It’s okay if you don’t remember everything, but I need a point, a place.
There was silence, broken only by Noah’s quickened breathing.
“I didn’t mean to,” the boy’s voice cracked.
He remembered how Alec had insisted on playing and he had ignored him.
“Don’t look for someone to blame, Noah. Look for solutions,” Rafael said, with the tone he used when the truth hurt more than the lesson.
Olivia hugged her son, though her body trembled. She closed her eyes, recalling the moment she suggested the kids take a walk.
“Come on, honey, you can remember,” Liv said, taking his hand.
Noah brought his hands to his head and rolled his eyes side to side until the memory came back.
“The last time I saw him was near the old cabin,” Noah stammered.
“We have to find him,” Olivia said softly but determined.
She ran to the cabin for an old map and began tracing possible routes Alec could have taken. Rafael stood beside her, suggesting strategies.
Noah just stared at his parents; for a moment, he felt invisible, trying to hold back tears. “Mom, can I come with you?” Noah asked quietly.
“Noah, stay here. If Alec comes back, don’t let him leave again. Got it?”
The boy was about to protest, but Rafael intervened.
“This isn’t the time to argue, Noah. Listen to your mom.”
“We have to leave before dark,” Liv said, with a backpack and the map in hand.
Noah stayed at the doorframe, closing his eyes lightly, hoping his parents would find Alec.
Rafael and Liv began their search, walking over the leaf litter, dodging tree roots, accompanied only by the occasional bird song, their footsteps, and the name of their son—Alec…
Soon it began to get dark, and with it, the tension grew.
Guilt weighed heavily on Olivia for suggesting that place for vacation; Rafael seemed more serious, avoiding her gaze.
“Rafa, I…”
Suddenly, a loud scream rang out. It was a child’s scream.
They both took off running.
Liv tripped over a branch; Rafael turned around.
“Go get Alec!”
Rafael ran through the branches, his flashlight shaking.
He found Alec—tears streamed down the boy’s face, his clothes dirty, hair tousled.
“Daddy… it hurts,” Alec said, tears in his eyes.
Rafael picked up his son, feeling his small body trembling. He moved Alec’s arm and saw a bit of blood and bite marks. He shook his head, searching for the animal that had bitten him—but there was only another boy. Half-dressed, covered in mud and leaves, staring with wide eyes that held no human recognition.
Olivia ran to them, hugging her son, showering him with kisses. The other boy protected himself with his arms, growling.
There was a silence broken only by Alec’s crying.
Olivia soon placed her son in Rafael’s arms.
“Liv, it’s not safe.”
“He’s just a child, Rafael. Look at him!”
“Mommy, he bit me,” Alec sobbed.
Rafael grabbed her arm, but she pulled away.
She reached out to the other boy, who looked vulnerable and almost like an animal. The little boy swiped at Liv with a claw and bit her.
“Mommy!” Alec cried out.
Liv bit her lip, holding the bite wound with a handkerchief.
“Don’t do it, Liv.”
“I can’t leave him here.”
Olivia knelt down and crawled through the leaves, stretching out her arms.
She gave him a gentle look, one the boy soon understood, and he ran to her.
Before long, Olivia was carrying him—he hardly weighed anything, smelled like earth, and had thin arms.
She sighed with relief. Feeling the boy’s trembling, true to her instincts, she took off her jacket to cover him. The boy’s limbs clung to Olivia, leaving mud stains on her clothes.
Alec kept crying, clutching his father, trembling from fear of the wild boy.
“Liv, we can’t. It’s dangerous—he bit you and Alec too.”
The boy growled at Rafael and held onto Liv tighter.
The walk back home was filled with silence, broken only by lullabies Liv sang softly to the boy while stroking his back.
“Shhh, sleep, my dear boy,” Liv repeated.
They kept walking until they saw the cabin lights and the flashing lights of a patrol car.
There was Noah, accompanied by an old sheriff.
“You should have called for help,” said the sheriff.
“And waited for you to have time? No, thanks,” Rafael replied sarcastically.
“They’re civilians, not trained.”
“Captain Olivia Benson, Special Victims Unit, NYPD.”
The sheriff scanned her doubtfully, wondering if she was serious.
“The forest isn’t like your city. I see you found the wild boy.”
The sheriff pulled out his handcuffs.
“Put that down. This boy is under my custody,” Olivia said, shielding the boy with her body. “Does he have a name?” Rafael asked.
No. Why would he? He’s almost like an animal.”
Olivia shook her head.
Rafael rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “This is like the story of the Wild Boy of Aveyron in France. Let’s call him Victor,” Rafael said.
“Victor?” repeated the sheriff.
The sheriff watched them silently.
“Call him what you want, but that boy… he’s not like the others. He’s dangerous,” he said, not daring to come closer.
That night, Olivia bathed and cared for him just like she did her own children.
Noah and Alec watched silently from the hallway, avoiding Victor, who growled whenever they tried to get close to Liv.
“Liv, he’s dangerous, he attacked you.”
“He was scared, Rafa. He didn’t know what he was doing.”
“And that’s exactly why he’s dangerous. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“He deserves another chance.”
“You know the protocols, Liv. Do you really think it’s right to protect him?”
“He’s a child, not a criminal.”
“If this were any other case, you’d be looking for a loophole in the law to protect him.”
Olivia glanced at her children sleeping in the distance; Alec had a bandage on his arm. Victor rested in her arms, making guttural sounds.
“Let’s talk tomorrow, Liv. But I won’t allow that boy near my children.”
Rafael reached out to stroke him, and Victor pulled back, clutching Liv’s shirt—but soon he relaxed and made a small attempt at a smile.
She rocked him in her arms and looked into his eyes, reminding her of a look she’d seen many times in herself as a child, and in the children she’d saved.
Before closing her eyes and stroking his head, Olivia whispered,
“I’ve seen the worst in people, but I still believe in the best. Rest, Victor.”
That night, she slept with him by the firelight. Victor seemed fragile; she knew his place wasn’t here.
At dawn, Olivia was beside Victor, holding him close.
The boy’s rough hands stroked Liv’s face, and in a guttural voice, he said a word he thought he had forgotten.
“Mom…”
A tear rolled down his childlike face, and after one last look, he fled into the forest.